“It allows me to keep in touch with my sister without actually bugging her.”
“You say she is at the dark witch’s house?”
“Did I say that? I don’t think I said that. Have another cookie.”
Taking a bite, Reichardt growled. “I owe the witch a good flaying for the damage she did to my souls. I think I will do that.” He finished the cookie. “Flay her open to bleed out the souls clinging to her sticky soul.”
“No!” Libby gripped his hand. “You can’t do that. She’s my sister. You are not allowed to hurt her.”
“I need no permission to mete justice when it is due. Perhaps I will break her in half and squeeze out the souls. It is less messy than flaying. Thank you for the cookies, Libertie.”
And he disappeared. Gone. Without so much as a goodbye, or an “I’m sorry, I must now go torture your sister.”
Libby frantically texted Vika.
* * *
They stood in the center of CJ’s loft, beneath the dazzle of light. Spell enacted, each scanned the periphery, their senses alert and hearts pounding. Vika had no idea what the soul bringer could want her for, but it couldn’t be good.
Suddenly the entire loft shook. The chandelier crystals tinkled and light beams flashed over their skin in a riot of prismatic color.
“He’s here,” she said, looking toward the roof.
“I can’t believe he found me through my wards,” CJ said. “No matter. He’ll never get past the zymeloz. As well the protection demon has put up sigils against angels. Don’t drop my hand!”
Back-to-back, they held vigil as the soul bringer pounded against the roof, the windows and the walls, yet could not gain entrance.
* * *
Libby almost dropped her sparkly purple iPhone when the man appeared directly before her. “Reichardt! That was fast. You didn’t find Vika?”
“Give me that texting device.” He grabbed the phone from her. “Show me how this works. I will send a message to your sister.”
“Uh.” Well, a text was much better than being flayed alive. “Okay. What do you want me to say?”
“You show me how to do it,” he said, and his forceful command sluiced through her like molten fire, and she wanted to do anything to make him happy.
“Use the letters to write your message.”
His fingers were thick, but he got the hang of it quickly.
She read aloud what he typed in. “Come to me or I will kill your— Oh, goddess!” Libby dashed for the garden door.
Reichardt materialized before the gleaming double doors, stopping her as she slammed up against his mighty build.
“Oh.” Her hands landed high on his chest, and she could feel his firm pectorals through the black shirt. He wasn’t warm, but neither was he cold. And wow, his muscles were so hard and...touchable. “I’ve always wanted you to hold me.”
“I will hold you until your sister surrenders herself to my bidding.”
“Not very nice of you, but I’m cool with the holding part.”
She was Vika’s only hope now. And she had a plan. Of sorts.
“What I’m going to do will freak you, soul bringer, but then again, you have no concept of being freaked, am I right?”
“What do you mutter about?”
“Hold on, Reichardt. This is my kind of magic.”
And she kissed the stoic soul bringer. His mouth was as firm and compelling as his pectorals. Closing her eyes, Libby gave him every ounce of unrequited desire she had. He did not react. She did not relent.
And then...
The soul bringer’s palms slid up her back and pulled her—gently—closer.
* * *
Five minutes felt like an hour as the soul bringer had battered at CJ’s walls. And then silence fell and Vika could hear her heartbeats over her ragged breathing. And the ring of her cell phone.
She read the text message—from the soul bringer.
“I have to go home.” She started toward the door and Certainly followed. “He’s got Libby. He’ll kill her if I don’t return.”
“Wait.” He stopped her at the door. “Did he say why he wanted you to go there?”
“No, but—”
“But if he’s threatening your sister, I don’t think that’s going to play well to your hand. Think about it, Vika. What would make the soul bringer so angry he would come after you?”
“He never gets angry. He doesn’t do emotion.”
“Exactly. Yet he would have torn my place apart to get to you. It’s something about the souls, has to be.”
“But he’s gotten all the souls stuck to me. Even the ones I’ve used to exorcise your demons. He has them all.”